Unity
by KatHarkness-Katara
Summary: General Armitage Hux, highest-ranking omega in the First Order, is not a family man. He might have been, if his beloved brother hadn't gone missing years earlier. Now he has the best ship in the fleet, but must share command with a very tempting smelling alpha, who happens to have a pack of betas, and no omega. ABO 'verse, Kylux, Korux, MiTechMa, and eventual redemption.
1. Chapter 1

**Unity Chapter 1 A Child's First Bond**

 **AN:** **This came from a few ideas I had all coming together; a desire for a SFW version of kd_azrael's To The Pure, a sudden enchantment with Jathis' Little Brother Techie, a few ideas for things that would never work out without more framing story, and some background work I've done for my own story Runaways. Then I made it ABO 'verse.**

 **In addition to the above mentioned fics, I must credit the following for being inspirational:**  
 **Never tell me the odds, series by Anorlost (Knights)**  
 **Share and Share Alike, by Lightshade (Knights)**  
 **revolving, and a sequel by try_reset (technorat) (Knights)**  
 **Clan Techie Crossover, series by rudbeckia (Techie)**  
 **When the Galaxies Crossed and the Sun Went Dark, by afterglowlita (Techie)**  
 **The Things We Do For Love, by Glare (ABO 'verse)**

 **All are available on Archive Of Our Own**

Armitage Hux skittered through the doors to the Bridge, and hovered by the entrance until he saw his target. He scuttled forward, and tugged on the man's trouser leg. "Please, Mr Leaux? Milady Hux needs help."

The man, Leaux, looked down on the four-year-old Armitage and scowled. "What d'you think you're doing here, brat?" he snapped.

"Milady Hux needs help," Armitage repeated. "Her belly is sorta leaking. Nanny Droid called it pre-ma-ture la-bour." He repeated the unfamiliar words carefully.

"What are you bothering me for, then?" Leaux growled. "Go to the medical unit."

Armitage hung his head. "They told me to get out. Please, sir."

Leaux huffed, and turned to the centre of the Bridge. "Admiral, requesting leave to investigate this matter."

"Granted," the Admiral responded. "If this is a waste of time, see it does not happen again."

Leaux nodded and turned to leave, Armitage scurrying after him. He waited until the Bridge doors closed behind them before rounding on the child. "If this is some sort of prank, I'll make you wish we left you to the Revel scum," he hissed. "And then you'll answer to your father, little bastard."

Armitage hunched slightly, but stood his ground. "No prank, sir, Milady needs help."

Leaux stormed off towards the guest quarters, letting Armitage run to keep up. Armitage and the droid that minded him had been given a small room in Milady Hux's suite for the journey to Arkanis on the edge of the Unknown Regions, where the remains of the Empire sought shelter. Commandant Brendol Hux, Armitage's father, ran an Imperial Military Academy there, hence its selection as the site of the initial planetfall. And the Commandant's family, his pregnant wife and bastard child, had been given a place of honour for their flight from Lady Hux's estate in the Core to Brendol's estate on the edge of his Academy.

Armitage fell behind a little, but caught up with Leaux in Milady's quarters. Leaux was hissing unfamiliar words. He slammed his hand into the comm panel. "Medical team to guest suite twenty-three, now!" he barked, then rounded on Armitage. "Get to your room, bastard, and stay there until sent for."

Armitage nodded. "Yes, sir," he whispered. The harsh words weren't worth worrying about; they were nothing new. And Leaux had taken him seriously enough to call for medics. He scurried into his room, his task completed.

There was another pain-filled cry from Milady's bedchamber.

* * *

Armitage stayed in his room, alone, for hours. He snuck out twice to use the fresher, and once to steal a ration bar from the small kitchenette, but hurried back quickly each time. He slept, and read some of his atlas of known space on his child's datapad that was his only plaything, and slept some more. No-one sent for him. The nanny droid had vanished, probably with Milady.

Armitage thought, _ʻ_ _Perhaps I am forgotten._ _ʼ_

He rolled over on his cot. They were scheduled to make planetfall in eight days; slow-moving in convoy with other ships, at the pace of the slowest. If no-one sent for him by then, he'd risk disobeying Leaux. He tried to doze off again.

Muffled voices roused him from his stupor.

"-a pity. The Commandant-"

"At least the child-"

"-a sickly thing. Who will care-"

"-the droid, and the boy as well."

Armitage scrambled out of bed and pulled his boots on hurriedly. If he was going to be sent for, he needed to be ready. He sat neatly on the bed, folded his hands, and waited.

The door whooshed open, admitting Leaux. Another officer stayed in the living area. Leaux looked down at Armitage.

"Pack up your possessions, brat, and your stepmother's," he growled. "Quickly."

Armitage slid to his feet, and hesitated. "Um, sir? I'm not allowed to touch Milady's antique dinner service…"

Leaux sighed. "Point it out, and anything else you can't deal with."

"Yes, sir," Armitage nodded. He busied himself with pulling out his suitcase and repacking his clothes and boots, and the coverlet that was one of the few things he had from his mother. His datapad went into its little case along with the dozen or so chips. There was a case of tools and spare parts for the droid, but Armitage couldn't lift it. He told Leaux, who frowned but fetched the case. There was a hover pallet waiting in the living area, and Armitage carefully lifted his suitcase and balanced his datapad on top, before going to Milady's bedchamber.

A large portion of the room was taken up with the dinner service's transport box, which Milady's mother had had made specially when getting married. The service had been arranged prettily on top, teacup on saucer on side plates on soup bowl on dinner plate, knives and forks and spoons wrapped in an embroidered napkin next to the stacks and a selection of crystal glasses for each set. Eight sets, arranged around an exquisitely painted tray holding the teapot and caf pot, milk jug and sugar bowl, cut crystal jug and decanter. The porcelain was done in swirling greens and golds and the glass was delicately etched in spiralling patterns. Armitage had often marvelled at the beauty of the pieces.

But he wasn't allowed to touch it, so he scurried over to the dresser and delicately transferred Milady's clothing into two large suitcases. Then there were two sets of silk bedclothes, a makeup box larger than Armitage's head, an ornate mirror, and a fortune in jewellery and hair ornaments. The mirror and jewellery was, again, off-limits, but Armitage felt confident in deactivating and packing several holo-images. And there was a silver and gold quilt Milady had got for the new baby.

Leaux stopped Armitage from packing the quilt. "Put that with your bag, and go clear the fresher."

"Yes, Mr Leaux," Armitage whispered. The quilt went with his little case and he packed up the various hair soaps and gels and other beauty products, filling another large bag. His own supplies fit into a small wallet, which went into the front pocket of his case. He stood next to the pallet, waiting for further instructions.

Leaux and his officer emerged from Milady's badchamber with the dinner service and heaved it onto the pallet. Leaux frowned and snapped his fingers at Armitage. Grab your stuff and follow me. Lieutenant, deliver the pallet to my quarters."

Armitage frowned to himself, wondering why Leaux was taking Milady's possessions, but it wasn't his place to ask questions. He filed the information away in case Milay demanded it of him, slung his datapad over his shoulder and picked up his suitcase and the baby's quilt.

Leaux marched out into the corridor, Armitage hurrying to keep up. He was silent until they reached the turbolift and started to descend. "You are aware that Ladt Hux went into premature labour," Leaux announced gruffly. "There were complications. The medics managed to deliver the boy, but Lady Hux didn't make it. Understand?"

"Uh…" Armitage tried to work through it. "No?"

Leaux huffed. "Your stepmother gave birth too early. She did, but your brother live. Got it?"

"Oh." Armitage considered this. Milady hadn't liked him, but she had provided everything Nanny Droid requested. If she was gone, there would be no-one to provide until they reached Arkanis. But now he had a baby brother – who _wasn't_ a bastard. "Can I see him?"

"The baby? I suppose. There's a spare bay in the med unit where you will stay for the rest of the journey. The droid is caring for the baby, and it will also mind you." The lift door opened and Leaux strode out. "The admiral has assigned me to act in loco parentis for both of you until we reach your father, so if you cause any trouble you will answer to me. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," Armitage answered. He didn't know what ʻloco parentisʼ meant, but the rest seemed straightforward. Stay in the med unit, do what Nanny Droid said, and Leaux would be in charge. Simple.

Leaux led the way through the med unit, occasionally nodding to saluting directors. He stopped outside a door with a big black sign on it.

"Sir? What does qua-ra-tin-e mean?"

"Quarantine. It's to stop disease from spreading." Leaux shrugged. He didn't seem to mind explaining, which was nice. "Your brother needs more oxygen than standard. This was the easiest way to arrange it."

They went through two sets of doors into a long room with doors and windows into a series of small bays. Nanny Droid was in one, and Armitage hurried to the window. There was a little bundle on the bed.

Leaux opened the door. "Go take him the quilt."

Armitage gathered it and dashed into the room.

He hovered over the bed, suddenly nervous. Nanny Droid clucked. "Bastard master wishes to see baby master?"

"Yeah…" Armitage whispered. Nanny Droid took the quilt and unwrapped the baby with its other appendage.

The tiny, perfectly formed little human opened his eyes and mewled in complaint. He was ruddy, with unnaturally large blue eyes and a fuzz of red hair. Armitage reached out and took him as the droid wrapped him in the new quilt.

"Hello, little brother," he whispered. The droid adjusted his grip to better support the babe. "I'll take care of you."


	2. Chapter 2

**Unity Chapter 2 Don't Call Me Ishmael**

"Arm-Al!"

"Brendol Carolus," Armitage said, as haughtily as an eight-year-old could manage. "My name is Armitage Alexander, and I'll thank you to remember it."

"Well I'm _Bren_ , Arm-Al," Bren protested. "Brendol is Father."

Armitage sniffed. "Father is Brendol Damascus. You are Brendol Carolus. And I am Armitage Alexander."

Bren flopped inelegantly down on Armitage's bed. "Father said something weird. He said to not let you be Ishmael."

Armitage frowned, considering. "There's an old story," he said slowly. "A woman couldn't have children, so she gave her maidservant to her husband, so they could have a child that way. The maid had a son called Ishmael. Then the wife had a son called Isaac. One day, the wife found Ishmael mocking Isaac. So she had her husband drive out the maid and Ishmael."

"I don't get it," Bren frowned. "I mean, I know your mother was Father's maid, but what's that got to do with me?"

Armitage stared at the window. It was the Monsoon, so the anti-flooding wall shutters were down. Solid durasteel covered the window, without the transparisteel pane most bedrooms had. "I rather suspect Father was telling you to make sure I know I am inferior to you," he said distantly. "He certainly shows it himself, but he probably thinks you're letting my age make you overly deferential."

"But Father really doesn't treat you like me," Bren protested, waving about vaguely. Armitage's bedroom was, more accurately, a re-purposed utility room, the sheet fresheners and clothes presses replaced with a small bed, a little chest of drawers and a tiny desk. Bren's room, by contrast, was the second-largest bedroom turn nursery, and in addition to more elegant furniture similar to Armitage's, boasted a wardrobe full of formal wear for when the Commandant was entertaining and a small library of reference books and informative texts, which both boys hoped their Father didn't know Armitage also read. Bren was invited to their Father's dinner table half the time, while Armitage was most definitely persona non grata. The Commandant occasionally called Bren into the study and lectured him about the rights and responsibilities, duties and privileges of being a Hux, Brendol's expectations for Bren's career, and how Bren would make the Hux name even greater than their forefathers' had. Armitage had only been in there to receive punishment for petty or even imagined misdeeds. Bren was the apple of Brendol's eye. Armitage was the skeleton in his cupboard.

Armitage sighed. "He doesn't approve of me, but you do. He's probably concerned that you'll start deferring me just because I'm your elder."

"But…that means…when we're both in the First Order…" Bren frowned, thinking. "You'd be my superior officer, and a Hux does not shame his superior, because a man's shames must be his own. To shame another is to shame yourself."

"Another of Father's lectures?" Armitage snorted. "You'll overtake me in rank soon enough." He smiled and wrapped an arm around his baby brother. "You can be the grand moff, or whatever they decide to call the highest rank, and I'll be your loyal second in command. We'll do better together than either could do alone."

"I'd like that," Bren whispered. "Will you come back from the Academy for the Monsoon Break and teach me everything you've learnt?"

"I promise," Armitage whispered back. "And when you start, we'll have our own private study room hidden away somewhere, and I'll help you live up to Father's expectations."

"That's really not fair on you," Bren protested. "All that work, and I get the credit?"

"Brendol Carolus, you just listen, Armitage said firmly. "You will be the finest Hux the galaxy has ever seen. Not me, you. Father has made that quite clear. I can either oppose you or support you, and if it looks like I'll outshine you, Father will see to it I don't I'm just the family bastard. I'm not fit for more than a trusted retainer – if I prove loyal enough to step back for you. So the better you do, the better I'll be allowed to do. It's not fair, but it's the way it is."

Bren snuggled up to him. "Still don't like it," he mumbled. There was a pause. "Arm-Al?"

"Mm?"

"Would Father ever send you away? Like Ishmael in the story?"

Armitage looked away. "If you'd been born before the Fall and the Exile, I probably would have been sent away then," he admitted. "He couldn't risk disposing of me until he was sure of a legitimate heir. And now, there aren't enough of Imperial blood to justify losing me. I can still be of some use, and necessity outweighs the embarrassment. But if I prove to be…a liability, he'll get rid of me."

"I don't want him to get rid of you," Bren said stubbornly.

"Until you outrank him, there's nothing you can do," Armitage shrugged.

Bren stared at the floor and chewed his lip. "What about…trackers? Under the skin? So if you are sent away, I could find you again."

Armitage chuckled. "If you could do that-"

"I can!"

He pressed a kiss to Bren's forehead. "You are the best brother I could ask for."


End file.
